Method for controlling current amount flowing into circuit module and associated chip

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a chip comprising a circuit module, a power switch and a detection and control circuit. The power switch is coupled between a supply voltage and the circuit module, and is used to selectively connect the supply voltage to the circuit module, and control a current amount flowing into the circuit module according to at least a control signal. The detection and control circuit is coupled to the power switch, and is used to detect a first signal generated by a first circuit positioned surrounding the circuit module, and compare the first signal with a second signal in a real-time manner to generate the control signal to adjust the current amount flowing into the circuit module.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of the co-pending U.S. application Ser. No.16/008,010 (filed on 2018 Jun. 13). The entire content of the relatedapplications is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method of controlling the currentamount flowing into a circuit module and related chips.

2. Description of the Prior Art

In a circuit design that considers low power consumption, a power switchis usually utilized to power off and power up the circuit module toachieve the goal of reducing leakage current consumption. However, whenthe power switch is turned on so that the circuit module enters into thepower-on status from the power-off status, if the limit of the maximumtransient current is not considered, it may lead to an excessively highvoltage drop of the peripheral components of the circuit module, andresult in function or timing problems for the peripheral components.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem of excessive maximumtransient current, the electronic design automation software can beutilized for analysis, and different power switch architectures can beutilized to sequentially increase the current amount flowing into thecircuit module. However, the simulation result during the analysis phasedoes not accurately reflect problems during the actual operation of thechip. Therefore, the designed power switch architecture is not able tobe dynamically adjusted according to the status of the chip, which mayaffect the efficiency of the circuit module when turning on the power.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one of the objectives of the present invention toprovide a method of controlling the current amount flowing into thecircuit module, which can detect whether the circuit module will affectperipheral components during power-off to power-on in a real-timemanner, and accordingly dynamically adjust the current amount flowinginto the circuit module to achieve the best power efficiency withoutaffecting the peripheral components.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an exemplary chipis disclosed. The chip comprises: a circuit module, a power switch and adetection and control circuit. The power switch is coupled between asupply voltage and the circuit module, used to selectively connect thesupply voltage to the circuit module, and control a current amountflowing into the circuit module according to at least a control signal.The detection and control circuit is coupled to the power switch, usedto detect a first signal generated by a first circuit positionedsurrounding the circuit module, and compare the first signal with asecond signal in a real-time manner to determine a signal status of thefirst circuit, and generate the control signal to adjust the currentamount flowing into the circuit module.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, an exemplarymethod for controlling a current amount flowing into a circuit module isdisclosed The method comprises: detecting a first signal generated by atleast a first circuit positioned surrounding the circuit module andcomparing the first signal with a second signal to determine a signalstatus of the first circuit to Generate a control signal; andcontrolling the current amount flowing into the circuit module accordingto the control signal.

Briefly summarized, the method of controlling the current amount flowinginto the circuit module and the related chip disclosed by the presentinvention detect whether the signal status of the peripheral componentsis abnormal in a real-time manner when the circuit module enters intothe power-on status from the power-off status, and accordinglydynamically adjust the current amount flowing into the circuit module.Therefore, the present invention can improve both the functionality ofthe peripheral component and the power-on efficiency of the circuitmodule.

These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt becomeobvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiment that isillustrated in the various figures and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a chip according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a power switch according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a chip according to another embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for controlling the current amountflowing into a circuit module according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain terms are used throughout the description and following claimsto refer to particular components. As one skilled in the art willappreciate, manufacturers may refer to a component by different names.This document does not intend point to distinguish between componentsthat differ in name but not function. In the following description andin the claims, the terms “include” and “comprise” are used in anopen-end pointed fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean“include, but not limited to”. Also, the term “couple” is intend pointedto mean either an indirect or direct electrical connection. Accordingly,if one device is coupled to another device, that connection can bethrough a direct electrical connection, or through an indirectelectrical connection via other devices and connections.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a chip 100 according to an embodimentof the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the chip 100 comprises acircuit module 110, a power switch 120, and a detection and controlcircuit 130. The detection and control circuit 130 comprises a firstcircuit 132, a second circuit 134, and a comparator 136. In thisembodiment, the circuit module 110 is an electrical circuit modulecapable of being switched. That is, the circuit module 110 selectivelyreceives a supply voltage VDD through the power switch 120.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a power switch 120 according to anembodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the powerswitch 120 comprises two sets of switches, wherein the first set ofswitches comprises switches SW11-SW16 for turning on or off according tothe level of a control signal VSW1; and the second set of switchescomprises switches SW21-SW23 for turning on or off according to thelevel of a control signal VSW2. In the architecture shown in FIG. 2,when the first set of switches SW11-SW16 and the second set of switchesSW21-SW23 are both turned off, the circuit module 110 is in thepower-off status because the circuit module 110 is not able to receivethe supply voltage VDD. When the first set of switches SW11-SW16 isturned off and the second set of switches SW21-SW23 are turned on, thecircuit module 110 can receive the supply voltage VDD but only a smallcurrent amount flows from the terminal of the supply voltage VDD to thecircuit module 110. When the first set of switches SW11-SW16 is turnedon and the second set of switches SW21-SW23 is turned off, the circuitmodule 110 can receive the supply voltage VDD and have a higher currentamount flows from the terminal of the supply voltage VDD into thecircuit module 110. When the first set of switches SW11-SW16 and thesecond set of switches SW21-SW23 are both turned on, the highest currentamount flows into the circuit module 110 from the terminal of the supplyvoltage VDD. It should be noted that the embodiment in FIG. 2 is onlyfor illustration and is not intended as a limitation of the presentinvention. In other embodiments, the power switch 120 may have more setsof switches, and switch number of each set may also be the same ordifferent. As long as the power switch 120 can control the circuitmodule 110 to have a plurality of kinds of different current amounts,related design changes should belong to the scope of the presentinvention.

As described in the prior art, when the power switch 120 is turned on tocause the circuit module 110 to enter the power-on status from thepower-off status, the periphery components can be abnormal in functionor timing due to momentary excessive current amount flowing into thecircuit module 110. Therefore, in this embodiment, the detection andcontrol circuit 130 is provided to dynamically detect the signal statusof the peripheral components of the circuit module 110 to determinewhether there is momentary excessive current amount problem, andgenerate a control signal Vc to adjust the current amount flowing fromthe terminal of the supply voltage VDD through the power switch 120 intothe circuit module 110. That is, the control signals VSW1 and VSW2 shownin FIG. 2 can be changed according to the control signal Vc generated bythe detection and control circuit 130.

In the detection and control circuit 130, the first circuit 132 isdisposed at an edge of the circuit module 110 so that a generated firstsignal VS1 will be obviously affected by the transient current amountflowing into the circuit module 110. The second circuit 134 is disposedaway from the circuit module 110 so that a second signal VS2 generatedwill not be affected by the transient current amount flowing into thecircuit module 110. In this embodiment, the first signal VS1 generatedby the first circuit 132 and the second signal VS2 generated by thesecond circuit 134 are the same signals. For example, the first circuit132 and the second circuit 134 can be clock generating circuits havingthe same or similar architecture. The first signal VS1 and the secondsignal VS2 can be clock signals with the same frequency. In anotherembodiment, the first circuit 132 and the second circuit 134 can belinear feedback shift registers (LFSR). In this case, the first signalVS1 and the second signal VS2 are pseudo-random sequences. Thecomparator 136 compares the voltage levels of the first signal VS1 andthe second signal VS2 to determine whether the first signal VS1 and thesecond signal VS2 are the same (that is, whether the voltage waveformsare the same) to generate the control signal Vc to the power switch 120,so as to adjust the current amount flowing into the circuit module 110.

In addition, in this embodiment, the detection and control circuit 130is in an area that is never power-off in the chip 100. That is, as longas the chip 100 is connected to an external power supply, the detectionand control circuit 130 can always receive the supply voltage VDD forrelated operations.

Specifically, when the circuit module 110 is required to enter thepower-on status from the power-off status, a control circuit in the chip100 will control the power switch 120 to generate the control signalsVSW1 and VSW2 to turn on at least one of two sets of switches shown inFIG. 2. At this moment, since there is current starting to flow into thecircuit module 110, the comparator 136 compares the first signal VS1 andthe second signal VS2 to determine whether the first signal VS1generated by the first circuit 132 disposed at the edge of the circuitmodule 110 is affected by the transient current of the power switch 120.If the comparison circuit 136 determines that the first signal VS1generated by the first circuit 132 is affected by the transient currentof the power switch 120, the comparison circuit 136 generates thecontrol signal Vc to the power switch 120 to control/adjust the controlsignals VSW1 and VSW2 to turn off one set of the switches to reduce thecurrent amount flowing into the circuit module 110. If the comparisoncircuit 136 determines that the first signal VS1 generated by the firstcircuit 132 is not affected by the transient current of the power switch120, the comparison circuit 136 generates the control Signal Vc to thepower switch 120 to control/adjust the control signals VSW1, VSW2 toturn on one set of the switches to increase the current amount flowinginto the circuit module 110.

As described above, by detecting whether the signal of the peripheralcomponent (i.e., the first circuit 132) is abnormal in a real-timemanner during the circuit module 110 entering the power-on status fromthe power-off status, the current amount flowing into the circuit module110 can be reduced as soon as possible to prevent the function of theperipheral components from being affected when the signal is abnormal.In addition, if the signal of the peripheral component (i.e., the firstcircuit 132) is detected as normal, the speed of turning on the powerswitch 120 can be accelerated to increase the current amount flowinginto the circuit module 110 and improve the power-on efficiency.Therefore, this embodiment can improve both the functionality of theperipheral component and the power-on efficiency of the circuit module110.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the chip 100 only comprises onedetection and control circuit 130. However, since the relative positionsof the power switch 120 and the circuit module 110 may be different andthe peripheral elements on each side of the circuit module 110 may beaffected differently by the transient current, in other embodiments ofthe present invention, the chip 100 can comprise a plurality ofdetection and control circuits to determine more accurately theinfluence of the transient current of the circuit module 110 on theperipheral components. Please refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a schematicdiagram of a chip 300 according to another embodiment of the presentinvention. As shown in FIG. 3, the chip 300 comprises a circuit module310, a power switch 320, and four detection and control circuits330_1-330_4. In this embodiment, the circuit module 310 is a circuitmodule capable of being switched. That is, the circuit module 310selectively receives a supply voltage VDD through the power switch 320.

In an embodiment, the detection and control circuits 330_1-330_4 areevenly distributed surrounding the circuit module 310. For example, thecontrol circuit 330_1 shown in FIG. 3 is positioned at the right side ofthe circuit module 310, and the control circuit 330_2 is positioned atthe lower side the circuit module 310, the control circuit 330_3 ispositioned on the left side of the circuit module 310, and the controlcircuit 330_4 is positioned at the upper side the circuit module 310.The structure of each of the detecting and controlling circuits330_1-330_4 is the same as that of the detecting and controlling circuit130 shown in FIG. 1, and the power switch 320 can also be implemented bythe power switch 120 shown in FIG. 2. Therefore, the related operationsdetails will be omitted. In this embodiment, the detecting andcontrolling circuits 330_1-330_4 respectively determine whether thesignals of the peripheral elements (for example, the first circuit 132shown in FIG. 1) of the circuit module 310 are normal and respectivelygenerate a plurality of control signals Vc1-Vc4 to the power switch 320to adjust the current amount flowing into the circuit module 310.Specifically, when the power switch 320 is turned on and the circuitmodule 310 enters into the power-on status from the power-off status, ifVc1-Vc4 received by the power switch 320 indicates that any one of thedetection and control circuits 330_1-330_4 detects a signal statusabnormal in the peripheral circuits of the circuit module 310, the powerswitch 320 reduces the voltage flowing into the circuit module 310 toprevent the function of the peripheral components from being affected.In addition, if the Vc1-Vc4 received by the power switch 320 indicatethe signals of the peripheral circuits of the circuit module 310detected by each of the detecting and control circuits 330_1-330_4 arenormal, the speed of turning on the power switch 120 can be acceleratedto increase the current amount flowing into the circuit module 110 andimprove the power-on efficiency.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for controlling the current amountflowing into a circuit module according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. Referring to FIGS. 1-4 and the above disclosure, the flow isas follows.

Step 400: Start.

Step 402: The circuit module enters into the power-on status from thepower-off status.

Step 404: Detect the signal status of the peripheral circuits of thecircuit module in a real-time manner to generate at least a controlsignal.

Step 406: Dynamically control the current amount flowing into thecircuit module according to the at least a control signal.

Briefly summarized, the method of controlling the current amount flowinginto the circuit module and the related chip disclosed by the presentinvention detect whether the signal status of the peripheral componentsis abnormal in a real-time manner when the circuit module enters intothe power-on status from the power-off status, and accordinglydynamically adjust the current amount flowing into the circuit module.Therefore, the present invention can improve both the functionality ofthe peripheral component and the power-on efficiency of the circuitmodule.

Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerousmodifications and alterations of the device and method may be made whileretaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the abovedisclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and boundsof the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A chip, comprising: a circuit module; a powerswitch, coupled between a supply voltage and the circuit module,configured to selectively connect the supply voltage to the circuitmodule, and control a current amount flowing into the circuit moduleaccording to a control signal; and a detection and control circuit,coupled to the power switch, configured to detect a first signalgenerated by a first circuit positioned surrounding the circuit module,and compare the first signal with a second signal in a real-time mannerto determine a signal status of the first circuit, and generate thecontrol signal to adjust the current amount flowing into the circuitmodule; wherein the first signal and the second signal are ideally thesame, and if the detection and control circuit detects that the firstsignal and the second signal are not the same, the detection and controlcircuit generates the control signal to reduce the current amountflowing into the circuit module; wherein the first signal and the secondsignal are clock signals or pseudo-random sequences.
 2. The chip ofclaim 1, wherein if the detection and control circuit determines thatthe first signal and the second signal are the same, then the detectionand control circuit generates the control signal to increase the currentamount flowing into the circuit module.
 3. The chip of claim 1, whereinthe detection and control circuit comprises: the first circuit, forgenerating the first signal; a second circuit, for generating the secondsignal; and a comparison circuit, coupled to the first circuit and asecond circuit, for comparing the first signal and the second signal togenerate the control signal.
 4. The chip of claim 3, wherein the firstcircuit and the second circuit are positioned in a region of the chipthat is never power-off.
 5. The chip of claim 4, wherein the firstcircuit is disposed at an edge of the circuit module, and a distancebetween the second circuit and the circuit module is greater than adistance between the first circuit and the circuit module.
 6. The chipof claim 1, wherein the power switch comprises a plurality of switches,each of the switches is configured to selectively connect the supplyvoltage to the circuit module or not, and at least a portion of theswitches are turned on when the power switch is turned on and thecircuit module enters a power-on status from a power-off status; and ifthe detection and control circuit detects that the first signal and thesecond signal are not the same, the detection and control circuitgenerates the control signal to turn off part of the portion of theswitches to reduce the current amount flowing into the circuit module.7. The chip of claim 6, wherein if the detection and control circuitdetects that the first signal and the second signal are the same, thedetection and control circuit generates the control signal to turn onall of the switches to increase the current amount flowing into thecircuit module.
 8. A method of controlling the current amount flowing ina circuit module, comprising: detecting a first signal generated by atleast a first circuit positioned surrounding the circuit module andcomparing the first signal with a second signal to determine a signalstatus of the first circuit, wherein the circuit module is connected toa supply voltage through a power switch and the power switch selectivelyprovides the supply voltage to the circuit module, the first signal andthe second signal are ideally the same, and the first signal and thesecond signal are clock signals or pseudo-random sequences; and if thesignal status of the first circuit indicates that the first signal andthe second signal are not the same, generating a control signal toreduce the current amount flowing into the circuit module.
 9. The methodof claim 8, further comprising: if the signal status of the firstcircuit indicates that the first signal and the second signal are thesame, generating the control signal to increase the current amountflowing into the circuit module.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein thepower switch comprises a plurality of switches, each of the switches isconfigured to selectively connect the supply voltage to the circuitmodule or not, and at least a portion of the switches are turned on whenthe power switch is turned on and the circuit module enters a power-onstatus from a power-off status; and the step of if the signal status ofthe first circuit indicates that the first signal and the second signalare not the same, generating the control signal to reduce the currentamount flowing into the circuit module comprises: if the signal statusof the first circuit indicates that the first signal and the secondsignal are not the same, generating the control signal to turn off partof the portion of the switches to reduce the current amount flowing intothe circuit module.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: ifthe signal status of the first circuit indicates that the first signaland the second signal are the same, generating the control signal toturn on all of the switches to increase the current amount flowing intothe circuit module.